Growing up in Michigan, the MSU-U-M rivalry simply is a part of life. It’s the line dividing households, cities and the entire Mitten state. It’s the source of those two color combinations that residents display with pride on their clothing, bumper stickers and flags. It’s the matchups that bring out the best and the worst in people, and most of all, it’s not just a game.
Filled with nerves and sitting in a seat unfamiliar to him, Michael Ferrantino sat ready to begin his first press conference as an MSU hockey (3-4-1 overall, 2-2-0 CCHA) player.
Growing up in Metro Detroit, Brent Darnell spent his winters with his backyard turned into an ice sheet. Like many young hockey players, the sophomore forward said he would wait for the pond to finally freeze so he could lace up his skates and head outside for the rare outdoor hockey play.
For the second consecutive weekend, the MSU hockey team (3-4-1 overall, 2-2-0 CCHA) split its weekend, walking away with a loss Friday night and a win Saturday.
It’s no secret that the problem plaguing the MSU hockey team for most of the season has been an inability to score in the first two periods. But not being able to score at all, as was the case on Friday against Bowling Green, is another problem altogether.
As the MSU hockey team returns home this weekend for the first of a home-and-home tilt against Bowling Green, finding a quick start on offense is on a lot of minds. And with the stagnant presence of the Spartans’ offense in the first two periods of games this season, it probably should be.
Tom Anastos understands the MSU hockey team is on a learning curve. After losing nearly half the roster from his inaugural season, including star defenseman Torey Krug, that much is to be expected. But what Anastos won’t tolerate is lacking mental preparedness to compete, which he said plagued his team in Friday’s 3-2 loss to Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
The MSU hockey team (2-3-1 overall, 1-1-0 CCHA) returns home from the opening weekend of CCHA play with a weekend split to Lake Superior State, or LSSU.
When the Spartans men’s hockey team (1-2-1) kicked off CCHA play last season, Lake Superior State (2-2-0) handed them a winless series.
Lately, Tom Anastos has been taking a line-shuffling note from Scotty Bowman’s book. Anastos, the MSU men’s hockey (1-2-1) head coach, has been mixing and matching linemates this season to see which players can click together. With 12 new players this year, it’s going to take a couple of tries until the MSU coaching staff can get it right.
It was far from perfect, but it was progress. That’s the view MSU hockey (1-2-1) head coach Tom Anastos had of his team’s series against Niagara last weekend, in which it came out with a win and a tie.
Slow and steady might win some races, but the Spartans will have to up the tempo if they wish to get upcoming games under their belt as wins.
The MSU men’s hockey team (1-2-1) walked into the locker room after the second period Friday night with a glaring 2-0 score in the opponent’s favor on the scoreboard. Niagara had the lead against the Spartans, its second coming off an accidental own goal by an MSU defenseman. Coming off two consecutive losses to Minnesota the weekend prior, the Spartans didn’t want to relive that defeat, so they did something about it.
Another late game rally by the MSU men’s hockey team (1-2-1) picked it up a tie against Niagara, 3-3.
They had battled, scrapped and overcame penalties for 40 minutes, yet as they headed out for the third period, the MSU hockey team was staring at a 2-0 deficit and the reality of an unhappy home opener.
It wasn’t easy, but the MSU hockey team (1-2) used a three goal third period to rally from a 2-0 deficit to get its first win of the season, knocking off Niagara (1-2) 3-2 Friday night.
The polls might say Niagara hockey is a lesser opponent than Minnesota, but MSU hockey (0-2-0) refuses to believe so.
Mike Ferrantino raised his Spartan Shield high this weekend. MSU men’s hockey (0-2-0) head coach Tom Anastos said he created a player-specific award from teammates, presented to someone who represents the program’s values well that whole week.
The MSU hockey team (0-2-0) is looking for little positives after last weekend. And after a pair of tough losses to top-ranked Minnesota on Gopher ice, little positives are all it really has.
The No. 1/2-ranked Minnesota lived up to its ranking this weekend, sweeping MSU hockey (1-2-0) in a season-opening weekend.